Tips for Visiting Disneyland During the Holidays

It’s no secret that we love Disney and visiting the parks. However, Disneyland during the holidays is one of our favorite things to do. We went to the parks just recently and had an amazing time. I love seeing all of the decor and enjoying the treats. It’s just a magical time to visit Disneyland. If you have a trip planned over the holidays, I wanted to share a few tips with you that helped us during our visit. These two weeks during the holidays are the busiest the parks will see so know it will be crowded but can still be a LOT of fun!

Tips for visiting Disneyland During the Holidays

• Download the Disneyland app. I can’t speak enough about how helpful the Disneyland app is. You can do the following:
  • Find out ride wait times
  • Find the closest bathroom
  • Show and parade times
  • Search where your favorite character is just by typing in their name
  • Find the restaurants and links to make table reservations
• Get your fast passes first thing in the morning! With the crowds, most of these are guaranteed to be out before noon. If you wait in line for some of these the wait times can get up to 2 hours! With a fast pass, your wait is usually less than 20 minutes if that.
  • Rides to get your fast passes ASAP:
    • Radiator Racers
    • World of Color show (See the Winter Dreams show!)
    • Hyperspace Mountain
    • Indiana Jones
    • Star Tours
    • Haunted Mansion
    • Splash Mountain
• Reserve your dining tables before you go! The lines to eat at the restaurants and even the carts were long. We waited probably 45 minutes just at the Jolly Roger for a quick breakfast. Remember to bring snacks for in between meals!
• Avoid peak times if possible. We did everything in the AM and in the later afternoon and evening when it seemed to be most crowded. It will be VERY crowded in lines and walking in between the lands. On the peak times we did some more low key things.
• Must sees during the holiday time:
  • The big trees in both Disneyland and California Adventure.
  • Small World at night is spectacular!
  • Sleeping Beauty’s castle looks dazzling in the evening as the diamonds for 60th anniversary and the lights sparkle on the castle.
  • Haunted Mansion ~ see Jack Skellington and enjoy a fun tour of the mansion with it decorated by Jack and his friends!
  • Cars Land ~ See all the houses and trees decorated for the holidays!
  • Winter Dreams World of Color show ~ Olaf presents a fun and beautiful show that will make every heart melt for the holidays.
  • Olaf’s Snow Fest ~ Meet Olaf and play in the snow and even do some sledding! Parents can play too!
  • Santa! He’s over at Disney’s California Adventure.
  • A Christmas Fantasy Parade
  • Jingle cruise ~ The Jungle Cruise takes you on the adventures of finding where their holiday shipments went.
• Find your holiday treats early, they may sell out fast! I personally love the gingerbread Mickey Mouses!
• Need a break? Head on over to some places that do shows that aren’t overly crowded like Mickey’s Magical Map, the Good Dinosaur (Bug’s Life Theater) and Path of the Jedi. Also find a bench near the outskirts of the park or a table in one of the bigger outdoor seating areas. I think it’s important to take breaks during the visits during the holidays because it can get very crowded which can be stressful and even draining. We sat down and just enjoyed watching others and enjoyed our holiday treats.